Thief: Inescapable Past
by Duran
Summary: My first fanfic, actually my first short story just for fun. Curious as to what everyone thinks about the plot, not so much on grammar. Shall I keep writing it?


Thief: Inescapable Past  
Chapter 1: The Proposition  
A dark figured moved briskly down the cobblestone alley. Behind him in the dimly lit streets, he could see the city watch arriving all too late. Garrett looked back, a smirk was on his face. It was the first feeling of good fortune he had felt in a long while. With the city watch becoming more corrupt with each passing day, and the recent outbreak of thief guild wars, the city was his oyster. So here he was, heading home with another successful nights loot.   
"If I keep this up," he thought "pretty soon all the nobles in this town will be bankrupt."   
As he approached his apartment, he got the distinct feeling he was being followed. In a flash he drew a dagger from his belt and spun around, only to be facing a merchant. The man, rather short and portly, quickly cowered next to his wagon.  
"Sorry there," Garret mumbled as he sheathed his blade "Never can be too careful, what with all the thieves about."   
The merchant flashed Garrett a big toothless grin.   
"Aye, I hear yuh. Ats' why I carry tis." With that the merchant pulled from his wagon a giant crossbow. It was made from solid oak, and was about as long as the man was tall.  
"Makes tem hoodlums tink twice, don't it?" Garrett could only manage a faint nod as he slowly turned and continued into his building.  
"It takes all kinds," he muttered as he entered his building. He climbed the stairs all the way to the top. His apartment was the only one with roof access. He learned that a rooftop getaway must be a viable exit from his home. He entered and immediately stashed his latest plunder in his closet. He made sure the door was locked. He didn't need his landlord finding and "confiscating" it. Then from behind him, he heard a familiar voice.  
"Ahh Apprentice Garrett, how your ways still have not changed after all you have seen."   
Garrett shook his head and turned to face the dark figure sitting on his couch.   
"The only thing I have seen is too much of you Keepers."  
"Garrett, the Keepers require assistance with a very delicate matter."   
Garrett nonchalantly sat in an armchair across from the cloaked figure. He removed his mechanical eye from its socket and breathed on it. He then wiped it off with his cloak. The Keeper, rather uncomfortable with the spectacle, shifted awkwardly in his seat.  
"Must you do that right now? Time is short, and I am turning to you because the problem is within the Keeper society itself!"   
Garrett inserted his eye back into its socket.  
"What's the trouble. Plumbing problems?"   
The Keeper clenched his fists, he stood, a dark tone was in his voice.  
"A small group of Keepers have broken away from the guild. The are led by a man known as Vortentius. He and several followers have stolen very important texts from the Keeper library. Your job, is to track them down, and return the texts to me." Garret raised an eyebrow.  
"Very interesting. So how much will this job pay?"   
"I suppose the thought of helping out your former teachers wouldn't be gratifying to you? Well, how about detailed maps? Maps of the entire city, as well as every single mansion and keep from the docks to Dayport?  
"Sounds tempting, but I want one more thing."  
"Name your price, Garrett."  
"I want this to be it. I want nothing to do with any guilds of any kind, including the Keepers. After this, I don't exist. Got it?"  
"Agreed."  
The two men shook hands, and the Keeper strode towards the door. Garrett stopped him.  
"Just one question, why do you need me?"  
"The Keepers received a letter from an anonymous sender. Apparently he knows all about our predicament, and said that he would like to help us with our current situation. He wants to meet a representative in the graveyard tomorrow night."  
"Yeah, so?"  
"His terms were that he would only speak with you."  
With that, the Keeper left. Garrett peered out his window, and watched the cloaked figure disappear into the night.   
Chapter 2: Meeting Ex Mortem  
Garrett awoke to the evening sun going down. Pretty soon he would be off to the streets once more. He looked at the sun setting through his dust covered window. The light hit a flower on the sill. The odd plant opened up, revealing bright purple petals. Garrett stared at it forlornly. It was the last remnant of Victoria. I plucked it off her body after the affair at the Mechanist temple.  
"How hard it is to find good allies these days," he thought " I sure hope this meeting isn't for nothing." He glance out the window one last time. He saw the merchants heading home from the marketplace, and the prostitutes and dealers heading out for their duties. It was like an odd shift change. Garrett decided that the "Thieves Highway" would be best suited for getting to the graveyard. He opened his roof hatch and climbed out. The wind was cold that night. It hit his skin like tiny needles. He pulled his cloak up over his head and began traversing from rooftop to rooftop.   
"This makes the job all worthwhile," he said as he stopped to enjoy the full moon shining down. He glanced around, and then something caught his attention. He peered through a skylight to find a young woman in her twenties disrobing and entering a grand bathtub.  
"I really wish I didn't have a job to do. Ill have to come back later." Then he realized that she was looking straight up at him. She began to scream.  
"Or maybe not."  
He sprinted to the end of the roof. The graveyard was right next to it. He leapt off and landed on a pile of soil, freshly dug for the next grave. He stood, checked his belt to make sure he hadn't lost anything, and dusted himself off. Then he heard a voice that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.  
"Hello Garrett, I finally get to see you face to face. " A dark figure emerged from the shadows. Garrett knew the man, although he didn't look the same as he once did. His head was completely shaven, his clothes were tattered, but more importantly, he was leveling a crossbow off right at Garrets head. Garret stood slack jawed, for standing before him was none other than the late Sheriff Ghorman Truart. 


End file.
